Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle #3) by Maggice Stiefvater - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from Scholastic Press on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle #3)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Recent Release Date: October 21, 2014

My Pre Reading

Ashley's Review of The Raven Boys (#1)
Paul's Review of The Raven Boys (#1)
Ashley's Review of The Dream Thieves (#2)
Paul's Review of The Dream Thieves (#2)

Synopsis: 

There is danger in dreaming. But there is even more danger in waking up.

Blue Sargent has found things. For the first time in her life, she has friends she can trust, a group to which she can belong. The Raven Boys have taken her in as one of their own. Their problems have become hers, and her problems have become theirs.

The trick with found things though, is how easily they can be lost.

Friends can betray.
Mothers can disappear.
Visions can mislead.
Certainties can unravel. 

------------------------------------------------------------

Review: I unfortunately was not impressed with this book. The books of The Raven Cycle are definitively not easy, fast reads. They are complex. All of the characters have depth and there are a lot of characters. I usually enjoy these kind of stories, but I just can not connect with any of these characters. I also had a problem remembering the characters and everything that had happened to them in the two previous books.

The first book may have had Blue as the protagonist. And the second one kind of had Ronan at the center. But, this third book of the quartet doesn't really have a focus. It has become more of an ensemble piece, which isn't a bad thing. It was just difficult for me to follow. It didn't seem like a lot was progressing in the story for the first two thirds of the book, but there was still a lot happening. The end of the book definitely brought my attention back, but overall I just felt distracted while reading this book. I couldn't focus. 

The writing in still beautiful in this third book in Stiefvater's quartet. 

I will be continuing this series. I've had conflicting feelings towards this quartet from the first book. This first book was slow for me, as well, but by the end I was hooked. I really enjoyed the second book. I remembered all the characters and was able to follow everything. With this book I had similar feelings as to those I had for the first book. The majority of the book was slow, but the ending reeled me back in. I give this book a 3/5, but I will definitely be reading the fourth book! 


--PAUL

Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle #3) by Maggie Steifvater - Ashley's Pre-Reading

*I received this book as an eARC from Scholastic Press on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Blue Lily, Lily Blue (Raven Cycle #3)
Author: Maggie Steifvater
Publication Date: October 21, 2014
 
My The Raven Boys Review
My The Dream Thieves Review
 
Paul's The Raven Boys Review
Paul's The Dream Thieves Review
Paul's Blue Lily, Lily Blue Pre-Reading

Synopsis: There is danger in dreaming. But there is even more danger in waking up.

Blue Sargent has found things. For the first time in her life, she has friends she can trust, a group to which she can belong. The Raven Boys have taken her in as one of their own. Their problems have become hers, and her problems have become theirs.

The trick with found things though, is how easily they can be lost.

Friends can betray.
Mothers can disappear.
Visions can mislead.
Certainties can unravel.

Why?: I've enjoyed the other two books in the Raven Cycle, and have been looking forward to reading this one since I finished The Dream Thieves. I can't wait to find out what's next for the group, especially after the end of The Dream Thieves. I have so many questions that I hope are answered in this book, although I'm sure I'll have even more after this one.

Expectations: Since I enjoyed the other two books so much, I have really high expectations for this book. I think this one will deal with a lot of loss, and a lot of things will go wrong for Blue and the Raven Boys. But honestly, the synopsis does not give much information at all, so I really don't know what else to expect and I'm looking forward to being surprised.

Judging a book by its cover: I really love everything about this cover. The colors, the way it matches the rest of the series, the birds and the flowers, and even the placement of the title. I would 100% pick this book up off of a shelf if I saw it in a bookstore or library, and I would probably even buy it even if I had no idea what it was about. Gorgeous!


--Ashley

Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle #3) by Maggie Stiefvater - Paul's Pre Reading

*I received this book as an eARC from Scholastic Press on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle #3)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Recent Release Date: October 21, 2014

Ashley's Review of The Raven Boys (#1)
Paul's Review of The Raven Boys (#1)
Ashley's Review of The Dream Thieves (#2)
Paul's Review of The Dream Thieves (#2)

Synopsis: 

There is danger in dreaming. But there is even more danger in waking up.

Blue Sargent has found things. For the first time in her life, she has friends she can trust, a group to which she can belong. The Raven Boys have taken her in as one of their own. Their problems have become hers, and her problems have become theirs.

The trick with found things though, is how easily they can be lost.

Friends can betray.
Mothers can disappear.
Visions can mislead.
Certainties can unravel. 

------------------------------------------------------------

Why?: I've enjoyed the first two books in the quartet. The paranormal elements are fun and the characters are well written, gaining depth each book. 

Expectations: I'm excited to see the story progress. Each novel feels like just a part of the bigger picture and I'm anxious to see it all. There are already a lot of characters in this series so I hope I don't get too confused. One of the cool things about this series is the abilities of the clairvoyants and the things we know of the future that have let to happen.  

Judging a book by its cover: This cover is creepy and fits along nicely next to the first two books in the series. I like how such dark and unnerving art has a pure white background. 


--PAUL

The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from Scholastic on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*


Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Year Published: 2013

My The Raven Boys REVIEW
Ashley's The Raven Boys REVIEW
My The Dream Thieves PRE READING
Ashley's The Dream Thieves REVIEW



Synopsis: Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same.

Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life.

Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review:

"The appetizers were delicious, not because of the kitchen, but because all food eaten in anticipation of a kiss is delicious."

I enjoyed this book a lot more than the first book. I think it was because I knew all the characters already and didn't have to go through that awkward "dating" process every reader has when starting a book series. Also, this book is Ronan centered, and he is my favorite of the boys. This series has a large cast of characters and they all gained more depth in this book, even the clairvoyants. I liked that some of the characters that didn't interact in the first we got to see paired up in this book. I liked the dynamic of Adam and Persephone.

Stiefvater is an excellent writer. This book was so well written. It is written like a multibook series instead of completed tales told consecutively. There are a lot of hints and allusions that I'm sure I haven't got yet. Looking back at the first book, there were many hints to the second book that I didn't catch. Her writing is very imaginative. Throughout the book I was second guessing characters and their motives very often. I thought Kavinsky was such an interesting characters and it was interesting to see where it went.

I had never heard of air conditioning called "air-co" before.

I'm still not a fan of the many perspectives within one chapter, from paragraph to paragraph. It made me feel like I never completely knew everything that was happening.

I definitely want more! I hope I remember all the characters by the time the third book comes out. I give this book a 4/5. If you didn't enjoy the start of The Raven Boys, but liked it towards the end I think you will enjoy this just like I did.


-PAUL

The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater - Paul's PRE-READING

*I received this book as an eARC from Scholastic on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) 
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Year Published: 2013

My The Raven Boys REVIEW
Ashley's The Raven Boys REVIEW
Ashley's The Dream Thieves PRE READING
Ashley's The Dream Thieves REVIEW

Synopsis: Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. 

Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. 

Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...

Why?:   I just finished reading Raven Boys and although I had problems starting it, once I was in I really enjoyed it. I'm going to read this while everything's fresh in my head. 

Expectations:   I'm expecting a focus on Ronan especially after the last line. I also expect Blue's romantic interest to waver. And maybe we'll get to learn more and maybe even see Glendower as well as Blue's dad. 

Judging a book by its cover:  I like the cover. It's simple. I'm guessing the guy is Ronan. I'm interested to see what all the ravens on the cover reference. Just the Boys or some real ravens?

-PAUL

The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater - Paul's REVIEW

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Year Published: 2012

My The Raven Boys PRE READING
Ashley's The Raven Boys PRE READING
Ashley's The Raven Boys REVIEW

Synopsis: Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Review: I had a really hard time getting into this novel, but once I got to know the many characters I really enjoyed the story. The beginning is heavy. There's a lot of characters and a lot of information is thrown around. Psychics. Predictions. Lay lines.

The characters felt very British to me at the beginning and I'm not sure why. It took me awhile to confirm that this story takes place in Virginia.

Although the main character is a teenage girl from a family of legit psychics, the majority of the book is about a group of prep school boys. I enjoyed the girl's chapters more for most of the novel. They weren't as complicated. The boys' relationships are complex and it was hard for me to differentiate them at first. It was like the Pretty Little Liars tv show, but with guys. And paranormal things. I could definitely see this being turned into a tv show on ABC Family or the CW.

I liked how grounded and real the paranormal things were portrayed. It reminded me of the tv show So Weird that was on the Disney Channel in the 90s.

The first half of this book was a 2 for me. The second half was a 4. I think a 3 is fair for my overall feelings. I didn't find myself wanting to pick the book up and keep reading. Although, I'm going to start the sequel right now while the characters are fresh in my mind.


-PAUL

The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater - Paul's PRE-READING

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) 
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Year Published: 2012

Ashley's The Raven Boys PRE READING
Ashley's The Raven Boys REVIEW

Synopsis: Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.

Why?:  Clairvoyant. Seing the soon-to-be dead. This things interest me. And an all boys prep school. Ashley liked this book and I've heard a lot if Internet buzz about it too so I'm excited to finally get to this book.

Expectations:   I'm expecting a paranormal romance, but one that has a really interesting story. 

Judging a book by its cover: I like the cover. It's simple. I like the white background with the black raven. I wonder why the prep school boys are called Raven Boys. 

-PAUL

The Dream Thieves (Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater - Ashley's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from Scholastic on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Dream Thieves
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Year Published: 2013

My Pre-Reading
My Review of The Raven Boys 

Synopsis: The second installment in the all-new series from the masterful, #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater!

Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...

----------------------------------------------------

Review: I had pretty high expectations for this book, since I really enjoyed The Raven Boys last year. And ohmygoodness guys, I was not disappointed at all. In fact, I'm pretty sure Maggie exceeded all of my expectations and then some. Because this book is fantastic, and all I want to do is gush and fangirl all over the internet about it. Seriously. It was that good.

Like The Raven Boy, The Dream Thieves is full of twists and turns and intricate details that cause everything to come together in the end. Well, most everything - there are still two more books to go so there are definitely some unanswered questions and unsolved mysteries. But all of the reveals done in this book are done so well that I didn't see a lot of them coming. A couple were more obvious if you play Nancy Drew and pick up on all of the little details and suggestions... but others aren't so obvious. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, and I never wanted to put the book down (even though I had to to do things like eat and sleep). 

I really enjoyed that this book doesn't so much center around finding Glendower and Blue trying to figure out Gansey's death (although those things are certainly still there), but instead has a new plot with a similar theme - secrets. But now we're flung headfirst into Ronan's world and his secrets, and it is just as dark and mysterious and scary as you would imagine, but there's still light and love somewhere beneath the surface. It's just beautifully done and fantastically written. And one of the big character reveals about Ronan is just so well done; it's delicate, but not, and it's implied throughout the whole book looking back on certain events and observations but could be easily missed. 

All of the characters seem so radically different from how they were throughout The Raven Boys. Finding Cabeswater changed something in all of them, and it's really reflective throughout this book. I loved watching them change and grow even more, and I loved the glimpses into their pasts. The dynamic in the group changes so much, but I almost think it's for the better. And I'm so glad Blue is friends with these boys now, because they all fit so well together. I also really liked the new characters - they're complicated in and of themselves, and it just adds so much more depth to everyone else's story. They help grow the main group, as well as themselves, and it's actually really interesting. 

I really don't know what else to say without giving away too much. If you can, avoid spoilers for this book at all costs! It's so much more powerful if you find things out for yourself. I would most definitely recommend this to anyone who has read The Raven Boys. This book definitely does not have second-book-syndrome, and I think it's even better than the first one. I would also recommend this to anyone who is looking for a contemporary fantasy book - something set in the world we know, with a little bit of magic thrown in. And I would recommend this series to pretty much everyone I know who just enjoys reading YA books. A 5/5! 


--Ashley

The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater - Ashley's Pre-Reading

*I received this book as an eARC from Scholastic on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Dream Thieves
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Year Published: 2013

Synopsis: The second installment in the all-new series from the masterful, #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater!

Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...

Why?: I read and really liked The Raven Boys last year, and have been anxiously awaiting its sequel since then. I had so many questions that I'm hoping are answered in this book, and I'm sure many more will arise (since there are still two more books to go!). Ronan is such an interesting character, and I'm really excited that it seems like this book focuses more on him. 

Expectations: I expect a whole new slew of mysteries to be in this book now that the ley lines have been woken. Definitely a lot about dreams and how they can be more than just dreams. My expectations for this book are definitely higher than they were for The Raven Boys, since I have a better idea of how Stiefvater writes and now that I'm invested in these characters and their story.

Judging a book by its cover: I really love this cover. I think Ronan looks a little cartoony, but I think the ravens and the color scheme make it alright. If I saw this on a shelf somewhere, I would definitely pick it up and take a look. The dark colors against the stark white background make this so much different from most other YA covers out there.


--Ashley

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater - Ashley's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from Scholastic Press on NetGalley in exchange for a fair review*

My Pre-Reading

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Having never read anything by Maggie Stiefvater, I wasn't really sure what the expect from this book. I figured it would be a good story with a huge mystery that needed to be solved, and I wasn't disappointed. But it was also more than that, and I really enjoyed pretty much everything about The Raven Boys. Especially all of the little twists and turns that keep things interesting.

I thought that all of the characters were very well developed, especially Gansey and his friends. The further into the book you get, the more likable and more fleshed out the boys become. While I wasn't really a huge Gansey fan at first, I really grew to appreciate and like him by the end. Adam was my favorite Raven Boy though, since he is so completely different from the other boys and has to go through so many trials and hardships to get to where he is.

Blue isn't a very dynamic character, but she does change a little bit throughout the course of the story, and I thought that her quick wit really played a huge role in the development of the boys. The mystery surrounding Blue's powers, and her family, it really interesting, and I hope to find out more about why Blue only amplifies energy for others but can't channel it herself. Also, I want to know more about her family!

There were some parts when I felt like the book started to drag, but then Stiefvater would come back and through another wrench into the mix to pick up the pace again.   And then every time I felt like I had too many questions and not enough answers, I would get enough of an answer to stay interested and want to find out more. There were still so many questions left unanswered though, and definitely quite a bit of set-up for the rest of the series. I'm excited to find out what happens next!

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a good kind of supernatural book. Definitely for those looking for a book with the magic and conflict and mystery. I would give this a 4/5.


--Ashley

The Raven Boys - Ashley's Pre-Reading

*I received this book as an eARC from Scholastic Press on NetGalley in exchange for a fair review*

Title: The Raven Boys
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Year Published: 2012

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Synopsis: “There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you're his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

Why?: I'm all about creepy books, and this one sounds like it's right up my alley. I've also heard really good  things about it, so I've been wanting to read it for quite some time.

Expectations: I expect an adventure story filled with mystery and action. I think Blue will turn out to be a strong heroine, even if she doesn't expect to be. And probably quite a few very creepy scenes involving ghosts and such, especially if the characters are somewhere they aren't supposed to be.

Judging a book by its cover: The cover has a raven that seems to have painted feathers and a glowing chest. While it is striking, I'm not sure that I would pick up this book based solely on the cover. I might, but it would depend on what other books were around.


--Ashley